Froggy, Sebastian & the Bot: What Pet Names May Reveal About How People Conceptualise Assistants | Evaluating AI and Algorithmic Approaches for Defect Detection in Archival Film Restoration

14 May 2026
SMPTE Media Technology Conference Europe
SMPTE Media Technology Conference Europe

This is a two part session.

1. Froggy, Sebastian & the Bot: What Pet Names Reveal About How People Conceptualise Assistants.  

Kathleen Bryson will present an exploratory qualitative study examining the pet names people give AI assistants and what these reveal about how users conceptualise AI - as a tool, teammate or companion.  The research develops a taxonomy of naming styles and explores how these influence trust, boundaries, and expectations, offering practical insights for designing AI assistants within media and creative workflows.

2. Evaluating AI and Algorithmic Approaches for Defect Detection in Archival Film Restoration. 

Presented by Mael Bonnec Takahashi, this work compares a traditional SDIp algorithm with a lightweight CNN/U-Net to detect genuine blotches in digitised archival film, demonstrating improved accuracy for complex defects alongside practical efficiency optimisations.

 

Speakers
Maël Bonnec Takahashi
Maël Bonnec Takahashi - Trinity College Dublin
Kathleen Bryson
Dr Kathleen Bryson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow - De Montfort University